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On Being a Chef, Nobody Gets Out Alive

I’m a retired chef soon to be 65 years old. I graduated from the CIA when I was 26 and went right to work in restaurants. When I was in my mid- thirties I wanted a better lifestyle so I switched careers to food sales and marketing eventually landing a good job selling and marketing seafood on a national level. I was fortunate & received a generous pension and profit sharing. When I look @ my peers from that era most are not doing very well. Too many hours in the kitchen, stress, drugs, alcohol, failed restaurants ,broken promises , affairs, divorces, strained relationships with their children have all taken a heavy toll. I know that these problems are not exclusive to that industry but I’d bet they are far more prevalent among chefs. I’m glad I got out of that toxic business. When young people or their parents ask me about a career as a chef I try steer them in a different direction.

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